Narrowing it down

Okay, after today, we are much less stressed. Thank you, Meghan and Helen for your support, because I was not a happy camper last night.

I think we have narrowed it down. There may be heartbreak involved, but it is mainly because the Jetta is SO PRETTY!! Seriously, boys and girls, (hmmm, I suddenly realize I have a distinct lack of boy stalkers, what is up with that?) the pictures don't even begin to do this car justice. It is the second in the VW line after the Gold and yet it feels like a luxury car when you get in it!

Anyway, it is a bit out of our range. That is, the range that includes leather seats and a moonroof. But we are considering. Yes, we are.

The other option is a Ford Escape.We have a friend who works for Ford, so we can get a very, VERY good deal for this vehicle. And while it is not as dazzling as the Jetta, it is very comfortable and fun to drive. Plus the red version is really pretty, too.

Grant is waiting to hear from the insurance company how much they are going to take us for give us in replacement value. Then we will make our decision.

I am finally excited!

This should be more fun

But looking for a car is stressing me out. I have always loved looking for a new car, but there are a couple of reasons why this is not the usual enjoyable experience it has been in the past.

First off, we really didn't want a new car. We were quite fond of our Honda Civic and it was running well and looking good. We also paid it off completely last year when we refinanced our house. No payments, no debt. Now we are looking at a minimum car loan of $12K, just when we were trying to save some money for vacations and retirement.

Next, I don't get to make the decision. The car will be Grant's, so of course, he gets final say. But I get terribly worked up over reliability and things like that, so when he starts suggesting vehicles that Consumer Reports hasn't given a little checkmark to, I get anxious. Especially when one of the vehicles he is pondering has one of those evil black circles when it comes to reliability. I keep reminding him "Black circle. Completely filled in. Completely. Filled. In."

Finally, it's the heartbreak. You fall in love with a car in the showroom, but then it's just out of your price range. Or it isn't, but when you test-drive it, it just doesn't make the grade. It feels like an eagerly anticipated first date with that cute boy you've been crushing on forever, but he turns out to be just a bit of a jerk.

Yeah. Unexpectedly shopping for a car is just like suddenly finding yourself back on the dating scene after being dumped. With Mom screening all your calls.

Totalled

The car, that is. Finito. Kaput. It is an ex-Honda.

This, of course, is all part of my evil plan to do nearly exactly the same thing that Annika does a short while after she does it*. Bwahahaha...cough...haha.

So, we are carshopping. Fun times! Especially since we don't know exactly how much the insurance company will be giving us and we can dream a little.

What should we look at this weekend?




*Well, perhaps not every single thing she does. I am entirely too old for babies. And too young for grandbabies.

My house's wishlist

Hardwood floors- My house would like them in a lovely golden oak or birch, in the living room, dining room and hallway. Some oriental rugs would be appreciated, too.

New cabinets- My house and I like these ones.

A new backsplash with Talavera tiles- We have already purchased the decorated ones; they are in the basement waiting for the

New counter- Colorado Slate will do nicely!

Refrigerator-We already have a new stove and dishwasher, but when the shelves fall off our current refrigerator, we get a bit frustrated.

We certainly don't want to forget the bathroom.
A lovely clawfoot tub in the alcove and

A new vanity would do nicely.

Built-in bookshelves- When your owner has so many damn books, it's hard to keep them in order!

Add some
New carpet for the upstairs bedrooms and you will have one happy house!

And in other news

My current reading consumption includes Quicksilver, which I am quite enjoying. However, I am obsessed with Neal Stephenson's extraordinary use of italics. I find myself thinking how distracting it is and how much it interferes with my inner voice. Then I think he thinks I'm too stupid to know exactly where the emphasis lies in order to get the joke.

Oops.

I think I have to change a certain bad writing habit of mine.

You're always a day away

Give me a project or an assignment with a deadline. For however long you have given me, I will ponder, I will consider, I will reflect. Then, the day before my deadline, I will acually summon my powers and do what you asked me to do. Generally, I will do it well.

All my life I have procrastinated. Years ago I recognized that in some cases, that procrastination is simply the way my brain works; what I referred to as procrastination was simply my mind working out a problem. When I was ready to put it into place, there my answer was--already thought out and more or less what I needed.

But that only works for some things. The other procrastination seems to be about avoidance, especially over things I don't like or don't want to face. Like when I knew I needed to hire a contactor to fix the dry rot in my house. I dillied and dallied and by the time I finally hired a guy, the whole side of the house needed to be replaced. No, really.

And marking. I find myself making all kinds of promises, setting myself deadlines and promising rewards, and yet, I simply DON'T DO IT. I know that this leads to stress and anxiety and is terribly unfair to my students, but my good intentions slip away when offered the opportunity to watch this or go to that.

You would think after nearly 50 years of life, I would be wiser.

A sobering thought

I have a confession to make. Eighteen years ago, I was arrested for drunk driving. I had been at a bar with some friends and as I was driving home, I suddenly realized "Hey! I'm drunk!" With all the wisdom of my intoxication, I decided that instead of pulling over and making a call home, I would hurry. You know, get home quicker because I really shouldn't be driving. I was pulled over for driving 50 mph in a 25 mph zone, made to walk a line and write the alphabet. I failed, was cuffed and put in the squad car. I spent the night in jail and had to walk home, since my boyfriend didn't answer the phone when they released me at 6 am.

I was convicted. My license was restricted and I had to attend 8 weeks of classes on driving impaired. I don't drink and drive anymore and I am adamant about not letting my friends drive drunk. I learned my lesson with little damage to myself and no damage to others.

Last night, Grant and I were rear-ended while waiting at a red light by a drunk driver travelling at high speed. The impact of the crash pushed us completely into the intersection; we were unbelievably lucky that a car in the cross-traffic didn't broadside us. Given that the speed limit in that area is 70 k, one or both of us would probably be dead.

The other driver is in custody. We haven't a clue if he has insurance, because he fled the scene and spun off the road about 300 metres beyond. Then he and his passenger tried to flee on foot. No dice. They were apprehended by a canine unit and taken to the hospital, because they were pretty messed up. The police found an open bottle of Crown Royal and a bottle of Coke on the floor next to the driver's seat. We hope that he will be get as much of the book thrown at him that the criminal justice system will allow.

One thing that struck both Grant and I (aside from the car...) is how many people this accident ended up involving. Several people stopped to help us and stayed to make a witness report, which took over an hour out of their lives. We saw at least 3 police patrol cars on the scene, plus the fire department and the paramedics that came to check us over. These men and women were tied up for a couple of hours by the actions of one person. One guy making a stupid choice.

I made that stupid choice once. I got a big ass reminder last night just how stupid I was.

GG v. LH

Dear Annika,

You can keep your old Gilbert Blythe. I have Almanzo Wilder to keep me warm!

Sincerely,
Allison

The view outside my window

We arrived in Kailuum just at sunset, exhausted and a little nervous about what we would find. The last 5 hours had been tedious, driving a nearly straight two-lane highway through miles and miles surrounded by jungle infrequently opening to tiny, dismal looking villages. We had been traveling for over 12 hours, starting our day at 4 AM at the Buffalo airport. After making our way about 9 kilometers down a sand-dirt road, we drove up to find a group of barefooted people playing volleyball. We were checked in by our smiling, and also barefoot host Ivan and escorted to our tentalapa. We just had time to quickly unpack our necessities and take a quick look around before the sun had disappeared and we were left in darkness. Kailuum has no electricity: none, nada. We lit our candle lamps inside our tent to finish, then blew them out and made our way to the dining hut, where pineapple daquiries and an excellent meal soothed our tired souls. We were in bed by 8:30 and slept like the dead.

We woke to our first Kailuum morning and didn't even have to get out of bed to see the sand, sky and water. We were happy. That first day, all we did was alternate lounging in our beach chairs or hammocks, with occasional barefooted forays to the dining hut to procure a cold beer. In short, we did pretty much nothing at all. Perfect. When the sun set, one of the workers ran across the beach, torch in hand, firing the beach torches to light our way to the dining hut where we shared our exhausting day with our fellow Kailuumers.

Over the week, we managed to make our way to some Mayan ruins and wandered into town to bargain with the local merchants over variously cheesy and lovely merchandise. We drank and ate, read and slept and made friends with the Kailuum dogs, Cito, Esperanza and Blanca. One day, we walked about a mile down the beach, where we ate ceviche and fried grouper fish at the local "restaurant" in Rio Indio. It was basically a shack with plastic tables and chairs on the beach, exactly as a Mexican beach cafe should be. The limited menu was based on that day's catch; it was fresh and fabulous. We met up with some local children who showed us the tiny fish they had caught in the water. And so it was we fell in love with Mexico.

We are already planning our next trip to Kailuum. We are also, somewhat seriously, discussing what it would take to buy some property down there for retirement. Guess I better start brushing up my Grade 8 Spanish.



Kailuum Photo Album